Korean Prime Minister urges governments to work together for green growth

23/06/2009 - Governments around the world must work together for a new “green growth” paradigm based on low-carbon economic development, Korean Prime Minister Han Seung-soo told participants at this year’s OECD Forum.

“In order to achieve synergy between energy security, climate change mitigation and sustainable development, we need to strengthen mechanisms for greater collaboration and cooperation,” he said in an full text of the keynote speech at the annual OECD public summit.

“Investment in a low-carbon, green growth policy will yield a double dividend effect. It will contribute to economic recovery in the short term and help build an environmentally friendly low-carbon economy in the long term,” the Korean prime minister added.

Korea has launched its own “Low Carbon, Green Growth” strategy which combines long-term policies to enhance growth through “green strategy” and short-term efforts to create jobs and revitalize its economy and other countries could adopt similar strategies, he said. “I believe that low-carbon, green growth can be a paradigm not only for Korea, but for the international community as a whole.”

Later this week, Mr. Han will chair the OECD’s annual ministerial meeting, at which green growth is one of the main agenda items. Ministers will discuss how to encourage green investment in the interests of safe and sustainable low-carbon growth and how to foster international co-operation for development of clean technologies and an international market for low-carbon goods.